Apple begins to ship initial orders for the new iPad

Looks like some of the iMore staff, readers, and forum members are already getting shipment notifications from Apple for the new iPad's they ordered on event day, March 7.

Before anyone gets too exited and thinks this means their new iPad will be arriving overnight or early next week, delivery dates via Fedex are for Friday, March 16, the official new iPad launch day. (Though in the past, courier slip-ups have led to a few lucky people getting iOS devices a day or so ahead of schedule).

If you pre-ordered your new iPad from Apple, what's the status of your order? We're tracking this like NORAD tracks Santa so let us know when you ordered, what you ordered, and when Apple says you're getting it.

Mine made it from Shenzhen to Hong Kong and has now departed Hong Kong! I wonder what the next stop will be?
Via UPS, who unfortunately almost always comes after I leave for work, so I may be waiting til the 19th unless they'll do Saturday delivery. Maybe I'll call in sick with iPad fever ;-)

Ordered around 2pm EST on Wednesday. The order is still in 'processing' mode, no order confirmation yet, called Apple, they said they were just too slammed but that I should at least see a confirmation at some point today. It did go from 'reviewed' to 'processing' pretty quickly, but no movement since then. I can't even login and see the full order. Delivery date of the 16th still remains though.

I managed to complete my order around 3:30PM EST - about two hours after the conclusion of the New iPad event. I ordered a Black, 64GB, WiFi only model.
As of ... just now ... my status on the Orders page in my Account on the Apple Store says "Preparing for Shipment." It's been that status since very early this morning.
Hopefully, it won't be long until it flips to "Shipped"!
GT

Ordered Black 64 4G (engraved) Wednesday afternoon. Took multiple tries but got through. Got email conf later that night. Got email today saucing it had shipped. Started in china and went to HK and departed there. Say I will get on 3/16. Was going to Work from home that day do I would get right away when wife freaks out. We discussed me buying a month ago around my birthday. But still. Anyway need to go to work that day so working from home 3/15. Hopefully it comes early!

I ordered my 64GB white Wi-Fi version on Wednesday around 6pm CST, and got my UPS tracking number early today (Friday morning).
The last tracking point so far is Chengdu, China, estimated "by end of day" on Friday, March 16.

My shipping notification just came, but my iPad 16gb wifi black was just picked up from Pennsylvania (I'm in western new York) with a delivery on the 16th. Seems strange when that distance only takes a day or so normally. Maybe I'll try to pick it up from FedEx like I did with my Verizon iPhone.

maanged to get my order in at about 12pm arizona time on the 7th, 32gb white verizon lte, no change still says processing as of 2pm az time today. Curses!
My smart cover will arrive the 12th however lol.

Curses....placed mine as soon as I could after the store came up after the event, Ordered 64GB Black ATT Wi-Fi/4G got my order confirmation at 4:29 Eastern Time, and as of right now mine is still processing....starting to get worried :-( even though it still says delivers by March 16th

Shipment confirmation received and it shows that it is in Nashville, TN. with an delivery exception that says "Future delivery requested"! Bummer! :(. Oh well, I guess I will get it next Friday. I can't wait to get my hands on this thing! :)

I believe it means to hold till the 16th.
I have the picked up notice from FedEx that says it will be delivered on the 16th by 3:00.
Then at the bottom left is "Future delivery Requested" which I am told is the hold that Apple would like for release day.

Just got my second notice from FedEx telling me that my new iPad is in Nashville and that it will be delivered by 3:00pm on Friday the 16th.
That puts it less than two days away and I am already loosing sleep! I ordered it at 4:00 in the morning on the 8th. I know it's only a week but I am about tho go nuts. This is my First iPad.
At least I am not doing the standing in line waiting game in hopes to get one. This at least gets delivered to my door.

This is my first iPad as well! I'm glad I won't be standing in line hoping to get one and then being told "sold out"! Apple has already sold completely out of pre-order units so it's going to be interesting to see how many people actually walk away with one on Friday.

I ordered mine on the evening of the 7th, and saw on the 10th it was picked up in Nashville. Hopefully now that the weekend is over, it'll start moving again. I keep checking, it's still not been moving and my husband still keeps teasing me about it. :)

I ordered mine at 11:30pm on the 7th. However I checked the box to pick it up at my local apple store. Hate having to deal with waiting around for the FedEx or UPS guy. Mine still says processing today... I just want it to say... Shipped, will be at the apple store on Friday! Is that to much to ask? It does say it will arrive on the 16th. Keeping my fingers crossed. I'm ready to upgrade from my ipad1

I ordered mine on Event day (March 7th) it was shipped within 8 hours and it was engraved. It says it will arrive by the end of the day March 16th. Today is the 12th and it's in Louisville, KY. I'm in NH. I notice most people say its being shipped via FedEx. Mine is being shipped by UPS. Hmm?

Mine is sitting at ups world hub in Louisville, Kentucky since saturday.. Left china then hong kong, then alaska to ky.. Id love to see a picture of the stack of ipads sitting there.. Its prob a good thing they r splitting up shipments to ups and fedex to offload.

I ordered my black 16G, 4G day one of pre-orders. It way shipped from nashville via fedex over night on 3/11. I recieved a call from fedex saying i have a delivery coming on 3/13@ 10am that requires a signature. The ipad is the only package I'm expecting. Woohoo!

My white 32 GB 4G iPad was shipped on March 10th. got into Louisville on March 11th and is still just sitting there.
Appears apple is controlling the shipment to make sure it doesn't arrive too early!!

64 gig ordered on launch day, engraving, been sitting in Louisville since Saturday. My scheduled delivery date is Friday and had planned to work out of the house that day but I got called away - doh! I too am set for UPS delivery and went on the Apple site to pre-sign for the package.
I don't anticipate any problems but that's when they usually happen, right?

I ordered mine engraved on 3/7. Showing "Delivers on March 16th". Shipped March 9th from Shenzhen China to Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. Arrived in Anchorage AK on 3/10 at 841 PM, but no update since then. Transit says onetime with 3 business days to go. I am in SW FL. Would at least like to see it move to KY.

64 gig black envraved ordered evening of launch day. received shipping information evening of the 8th. From china, EPZ (9th), chengdu (9th), anchorage (10th), louisville (11th). Arrival in Minneapolis by end of business on 16th!
So excited! First iPad

I ordered my new iPad last Wednesday, the day that Apple announced its long awaited release. Mine has been sitting in Nashville, TN since March 12th. I know someone that works at FedEx, which is the company that is delivering my new iPad, and they said that in the past the FedEx trucks would leave Nashville with police escorts all they way to Memphis, TN. Then after arriving in Memphis they would disperse to all the major surrounding cities. The overnight shipping, by my best guess, means that they would be shipped from Nashville Thursday night and arrive the next day by 3:00 p.m. Sounds like to me that FedEx has a lot of work cut out for them during the next two days.

Like many people, ordered right after the Apple presentation, and it shipped the day after from Hong Kong. Arrived in Louisville, KY on the 10th and by 12h30 EDT today (thurdsay, 15), it is still there.
I wonder how it will make it to Quebec City, Canada by tomorrow if it doesn't leave by the end of today!

I finally talked to someone at Apple customer care, and it appears my iPad will only be delivered on Monday, March 19.
It really sucks when you realize that the shipment left China and arrived in Louisville at the same time as tons of others that will be delivered today.
Why would Apple force UPS to hold on and delay a batch of iPads and not some others? Because they've been engraved??? Now that would be dumb!

I'm wondering the same thing. Ordered right after the presentation, shipped on the 9th, arrived in Louisville very early on the 13th and is still sitting there.
If it doesn't leave soon I don't see it reaching Vancouver by tomorrow.